Meet on the ledge
|
|
|
Eniac designer dies
A MEMBER of the team that designed the world's first digital computer, who later went on to become a pioneer in computing education, Arthur Burks has died aged 92.
Burks was one of the brains behind the Eniac which was designed in the 1940s.
Burks had a doctorate in philosophy and became interested in computing in the days when it had few champions.
At the University of Michigan, Burks founded a Logic of Computers Group, and in 1957 he started a graduate programme in Communication Sciences. The field was so unspecific that it included things such as biology. These later developed into the field of neural networking.
He is more famous for being involved in the theoretical side of computer science rather than engineering.
However he worked on the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer which was designed to calculate the trajectory of artillery shells. It was finished and demonstrated in February 1946, too late for use in World War II.
He was also responsible for the design of the Eniac’s successor, the Edvac. This design mooted the idea of a “stored-program computer.”
Burks published a paper called the "Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata " which described how a machine might reproduce itself. This paper had a huge impact, not only in computing but in biology and philosophy. µ
L'Inq
New
York Times
Share this:
Share
...were the Zuse Z3 and the Atanasoff–Berry Computer, both created in 1941 and both digital.
Yoji,

I believe the Colossus was not Turing complete, hence it does not qualify as a general purpose electronic computer.

The ENIAC was the first machine to combine electronics, programmability, and Turing completeness so it is truly the first modern electronic computer.
it is better to read this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atanasoff–Berry_Computer
Thank-You, yogi. At time Picnic Baskets where abrim with computing projects. All with componets bought from Telco Supplier somewhere in Chicago.

Strangely, those Parts Where NO Trial & Error Prototype. It was Pick From Catalog & Build, HEY_Lot Like Today.
Also I Doubt if Eniac can reach 100 Gb/s as hoped, Because Core would need Multiplier of Hundred. So Bill & I Are awaiting Eniacs Next MOVE.
MY NAMES NOT Dave, You rubbish Heap.
Thomas Drashek
You can find more detailed information about the world first digital computers in Wikipedia; 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_computer
The writer of this article seems to like to say that Eniac is the world's first digital computer. However, some may think that British Colossus is the first digital computer. 
It may depend on the definition of "digital computer." According to the information that I have found, it is said, "This was the world’s first practical electronic digital information processing machine - a forerunner of today’s computers."
The existence of "Colossus" was kept as a state secret, but the documents of "Colossus" was disclassified in 2000.

You can find the information about "Colossus" at http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/content/machines.rhtm

Yoji
"A MEMBER of the team that designed the world's first digital computer"
No record of him in the UK so that would be the second or third digital computer.

Nevertheless a sad loss.